Attached is our
proposal for offering our A.A.S. degree in Early Childhood Education at the
Great Falls Higher Education Center.Attached are letters of support representatives of the University of
Great Falls and from the Montana State University Great Falls College of
Technology.Please forward this
proposal to Deputy Commissioner Scott for Level I approval if you deem it
satisfactory.

Western Montana College of The University of Montana

Proposal to Offer the
Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education at the Great Falls
Higher Education Center

PROPOSAL:
Western Montana College of The University of
Montana (WMC-UM) proposes that an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Early
Childhood Education (ECE) be offered by WMC-UM at the Great Falls Higher
Education Center beginning with Fall Semester, 2000.

RATIONALE:WMC-UM currently offers an AAS in ECE and a
Child Development Associate (CDA) training program on the Dillon campus and at
five field sites (Missoula, Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Helena).The CDA credential is a national credential
awarded to teachers who demonstrate competence in working with young children.

The off-campus
program is a two-year program consisting of 24 semester credits.Two courses and two labs are offered each
semester.These courses can be used to
satisfy the training requirements for a CDA.They also form the professional core for the AAS degree in ECE.

There is a growing
emphasis on professionalizing the early childhood field which has resulted in
Federal training mandates, a Montana Early Care and Education Career Path, and
grants to practitioners being tied to early childhood training.This attempt along with the increasing
demands for early childhood programs is creating a need for early childhood
higher education coursework.In a
preliminary survey conducted in Great Falls, 48 practitioners stated that they
would take early childhood coursework if it was accessible and affordable.These practitioners are non-traditional,
place-bound providers who are currently working in a field characterized by low
wages. A high percentage of current students qualify for PELL grants.For those who do not scholarships are
available.The courses would be offered
at night to meet the needs of this group.Whenever possible, labs would be conducted in the early childhood
setting where the student was employed.

COURSE OFFERINGS AND PROJECTED SCHEDULE

Fall Semester 2000(6 credits)

*ED 142/143Introduction to Early
Childhood/Lab

*ED 250/251 Child
Growth and Development/Lab

Spring Semester 2001(6 credits)

*ED 144/145Creating an Environment for Learning/Lab

*ED 240/241 Positive
Child Discipline/Lab

Fall Semester 2001(6 credits)

*ED 242/243 Meeting
Needs of the Family/Lab

*ED 320/321 Early
Childhood Curriculum/Lab

Spring Semester
2002(6
credits)

*ED 246/247 Early
Childhood Professional/Lab

*ED 324/325
Management-Early Childhood Programs/Lab

SOURCES OF FUNDING:The program will be
funded through student fees and institutional support.WMC-UM recently received a grant to expand
the early childhood program.This grant
will assist in start-up costs of the new site.

FACILITIES:Courses will be held at the Montana State
University College of Technology, Great Falls.Students will have access to the College of Technology computer labs and
library.

ADVERSE IMPACT:There is no projected adverse impact to local
institutions.In a meeting on May 10th,
the Great Falls Higher Education Center Committee came to consensus that they
would support this program. The University of Great Falls has written a letter
in support of the program (attached).

FACULTY:WMC-UM will provide
all the instructors for the 24 credits of early childhood coursework. Adjunct
instructors will be hired who have credentials at least equivalent to those
required of the current instructors in the program.The instructor will be evaluated each semester by the students in
the courses.The WMC-UM Director of
Early Childhood Education will also evaluate the instructor.

STUDENTS:
Students will meet
the same admission requirements as on-campus students.The 24 early childhood credit hours will be
accepted toward the WMC-UM residency requirements for the degree.

COURSE MANAGEMENT AND
SUPPORT:The
courses in Great Falls will use the same syllabi and textbooks as are used on
the Dillon campus and other off-site programs.This helps to assure that students at each site are meeting similar
requirements and are being monitored and assessed in similar ways.Each year, early childhood WMC-UM
instructors from all the sites meet to evaluate the program for organization
and content.This evaluation is based
upon student feedback, feedback for other early childhood professionals, and
review of national and state standards.